Environmental conditions and human impacts are key driver of ecological processes and the services they provide. Effective management of marine ecosystems therefore requires up to date information on both environmental and anthropogenic variables. In the Kingdom of Tonga, where the near-shore marine ecosystem is extensive, there are few resources available for it’s management and little is know about spatial patterns in biophysical or human driven processes. In this recent paper we provide a marine socio-environmental dataset covering Tonga’s near-shore marine ecosystem, compiled from various global layers, remote sensing projects, local ministries, and the 2016 national census. The dataset consists of 11 environmental and 6 anthropogenic variables spatially overlaid across the near-shore marine ecosystem of Tonga. The environmental variables selected include bathymetry, coral reef density, distance from deep water, distance from land, distance from major terrestrial inputs, habitat, land area, net primary productivity, salinity, sea surface temperature and wave energy. The anthropogenic variables selected include fishing pressure, management status, distance to fish markets, distance from villages, population pressure and a socioeconomic development index based on population density, growth, mean age, mean education level and unemployment. We hope that this dataset will be a useful tool for future assessment and management of marine ecosystems in Tonga.
